I never knew the sky could look like this, she thought to herself. But the beauty through its awe was masking the pressure building deep inside her head.
The craft abruptly lurched, jostling Ljilja from the window and thrusting her into her seat. A pit formed in her stomach. She clung to her seatbelt and tried to gulp down her nausea to no avail. Her body was strained by an unseen force forcing its way out, building and building and building...
Ljilja yelped in horror as she felt her ears abruptly pop. Her body froze. She felt at the sides of her head, checking for blood, fearing the worst. She started to writhe in her seat, tugging at her belt for freedom. Panting grew to hyperventilating, and no sooner had she gotten her harness off than she bolted, desperate for escape. Feeling certain that death was near, she scrambled down the aisle to try and reach the back of the nearly empty craft for any sort of respite from this suffering. She spied the emergency exit, and every fiber of her being urged her to reach forth and grab its bright red handle.
But before she could, another set of hands appeared. They grabbed her by the shoulders, pushed her to the wall, held her steady. Ljilja could not see who was restraining her―her gaze had long since become clouded with tears, and her mind was in a hysteria too thick to reason through.
"Let me go!" Ljilja demanded, but all the wriggling in the world wouldn't free her; she lacked the strength to fight back without her Longjacks.
"Come on, little fish, we can't have you out of the game this early," spoke a male voice from just before her. "Deep breaths. Try it."
She heaved and gasped for air.
"Okay, look at me," he continued. "Just stare. Come back to the real world."
Her eyes struggled to focus on the blur before her, but with effort, she made out his features. Fluffy white hair, sharp chin, red eyes―red eyes?
"Yes, the eyes, fine, just focus on me."
Ljilja complied. Her eyes locked to his. And, gradually, her panic subsided. When it became clear she wasn't about to try jumping out the nearest exit, she was released.
"Better, little fish?" he inquired.
"It hurts so much..." Ljilja answered, instinctively clutching at her head for relief.
"It'll get better once we touch down," he assured her before taking a step back to give her some space.
With labored breaths, Ljilja's fingers intertwined themselves with her aqua locks to pull at her hair. She leant herself upon the wall and groaned in agony.
"Who are you...? What's wrong with me...?" Ljilja pleaded.
"You're a sea creature. You're not built for the sky. Just sit tight, it won't be much longer. Oh, and the name's Jaden."
"Ljilja...nice to meet you," she whimpered in reply before sliding down against the surface of the wall and curling up into a ball on the floor. She flinched and cried out at another popping of her ears, then wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed her knees tight to her chest.
It would be hours before they arrived.